Gas prices hit $4 per gallon on Vineyard

EDGARTOWN - The prospect of $4 per gallon of gas has already become reality on Martha’s Vineyard - it's not just residents of the island and tourists who are feeling the pinch.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

EDGARTOWN - The prospect of $4 per gallon of gas has already become reality on Martha’s Vineyard.

An informal survey of island gas stations by WMVY-FM found an average price of $4 per gallon for regular unleaded.

And it's not just residents of the island and tourists who ferry their cars over from the mainland who are feeling the pinch.

Many small businesses, including taxi companies, are being forced to absorb the higher fuel costs or pass them on to customers.

Martha’s Vineyard Taxi owner Morgan Reitzas says he’s been forced to raise fares for longer routes to Chilmark and Aquinnah, which can now cost $75. Reitzas says even with the higher fees and some disgruntled customers, he’s barely breaking even.

By comparison, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in the Barnstable-Yarmouth area was $3.52 today compared with $2.82 a year ago, according to a AAA Southern New England survey.

The most recent statewide survey by AAA found a record high average price of $3.38 per gallon for self-serve regular.